"Black is black, I want my baby back." Song lyrics

Henry Bosch is working out of the unsolved crime unit with the approach of the 20th anniversary of the Los Angeles riots.

He picks a cold case involving the murder of Anneke Jespersen who was murdered during the riots. Bosch was only able to spend a short time with the case when he was first summoned about the body being found.

As he looks into the gang warfare that predominated the area in which Anneke's body was found, he comes against a major impediment. His supervisor is a controlling officer who demands on knowing what is going on with each step of the investigation.

There is some excellent plot twists and the investigation moves to a national guard unit that was stationed in the area  during the riots.

The suspense of the story mounts as Harry gets close to the answers in spite of his busy body lieutenant who wants him on other cases.

The story is realistically told with Harry being a tough investigator who feels that the victim deserves his best. There is also nice character development as we see the kind of music Harry enjoys.

Connelly is known for his excellent conclusions and I felt that in this story, the conclusion fell a bit below the author's past masterpieces.

Overall recommended.

Please check my amazon review. I'm happy to see any comments.

http://www.amazon.com/review/R2UTNCYWDN0LSJ/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm

Good times never were so good

The late Robert Parker has given the reader two Texas lawmen reminiscent of Woodrow Call and Gus McCrae of  "Lonesome Dove."

Virgil Cole and Everett Hatch search for a young woman who has captured Virgil's heart. They are searching in the towns along the Rio Grande. When they find the girl, she has sunk to being a whore in a run down bar.

The men rescue the girl and travel to Brimstone, Texas. This is a town that is growing due to the railroad and the cattle business.

 Based on their reputation as lawmen in other towns, the sheriff gives them a job as deputies.

They encounter a former bandit who has opened a high scale bar and a preacher who preaches militant Christianity.

I enjoyed the story and observing the ongoing clash between the bar owner and preacher.

Parker does a good job in describing his characters and the Texas setting.

http://www.amazon.com/review/R3R4EY2SAHXDCE/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B004NSVG7Q&linkCode=&nodeID=&tag=

I was dreaming along, on Lighthouse Bay

In "Lighthouse Bay," we have the story of three women, two of whom are in different time periods and all have something in common.

In 1901, Isabella Winterbourne was on a cargo ship that sank. There was a valuable  item, covered with jewels that was meant as a gift from Isabella's husband to the Australian Parliament.

Isabella is the sole survivor and landed with the bejeweled item. The value of the jewels would be enough to free Isabella from the disdain and poor treatment by the Winterbourne family.

In the modern day, Libby Slater has just been to the funeral of a man who was her lover for twelve years.

She decides to return to Lighthouse Bay, her original home. Her lover had bought her a home by the water. It also included a room where Libby could spend time with painting, a lifetime goal.

Libby's sister, Juliet has been living on land she inherited from her father. She runs a B&B and hasn't spoken to Libby for twenty years.

The story is entertaining and the setting is picturesque. It is interesting to see these three brave woman trying to achieve their dreams and overcoming obstacles.

Scheduled for release Apr 9th.

A story with a message

In "Betrayal of Trust," the author has written a compelling story with important messages about bullying and parental relationships with their children.

Investigators J. P. Beaumont and his partner, Mel, are summoned to the Washington State governor's residence. Upon arriving, the governor shows them her step-son's I-phone where someone has sent him a snuff film.

As the investigators try to find the identify of the person who was killed in the film, they speak to the step-son who shows his defensiveness  Later, they learn that he has also been subject to extensive internet bullying.

Politics, and over protective parents are witnessed as is the cruelty that some teenagers show towards each other.

The investigators overcome some heavy odds in dealing with the sensitive issues in the case. However, the story is well told and leaves the reader with something important to think about.

Please check out my  Amazon review with the below link.

http://www.amazon.com/review/R26O1XGTIDKHH4/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B00A1ADPMY&linkCode=&nodeID=&tag=

"Dark moon, way up high." Song lyrics

A police officer is murdered at a police convalescent center. Detective Inspector Alan Banks is instructed to handle the case with added scrutiny since it involves a member of the police department.

Set in the English countryside, we see Banks examine possible suspects. Then another murder is discovered and the search becomes more urgent.

Since there is the possibility of the murdered police officer being corrupt, Banks is forced to work with an officer from Professional Standards.  Banks shows his resentment at this since he prefers to work alone and doesn't want someone looking over his shoulder.

The plot takes a turn as we learn of a connection between the murdered police officer and the second victim. The connection involves a missing twenty-year-old woman who went missing in Estonia.

The characters are particularly well drawn and it is interesting to see the respect Banks forms for the officer from Professional Standards.

Peter Robinson is a first class writer who demonstrates his talent for plotting, characterization and his ability to maintain the reader's attention throughout the story.

Recommended

Please check out my Amazon review.

.http://www.amazon.com/review/R12NFXA6T6B3O8/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm

Please, save the last dance for me.

With "The Last Man," we are given an inside look at the covert operations of the CIA.

Someone has kidnapped the agency's top agent in covert ops in Afghanistan. He has the names of the agency's top spies throughout the area. If he's made to talk, it would be an intelligence disaster.

Mitch Rapp, the agency's top covert operative, investigates. In addition, there is an attempt on Mitch's life and someone is promoting a smear campaign against the money handling of Mitch and the missing agent.

The action thriller demonstrates the author's story telling ability, his excellent character development and shows the heroism of many operatives in the field.

The plot is original and the suspense is nicely maintained throughout.

You reap what you sew

In "The Reapers," John Connolly has given his readers some background on two of Charlie Parker's humorous, homosexual sidekicks.

Someone is after Louis because of something he did as a teenager.

We learn of Louis' childhood and misfortunes that his family went through. Racial hatred was the reason that someone acted in such a manner that changed Louis from a shy teenager into a cold blooded murderer.

In a departure that demonstrates John Connolly's versatility  it isn't Charlie Parker who is the protagonist but his friend, Louis. In fact, Parker only makes a tangential appearance in this story.

There is good character development in the story and I particularly enjoyed the character of Willie Brew.

Overall, I enjoyed the story and feel that it would appeal to action thriller fans.

Sailing, sailing over the bounty sea

Dick Pierce is a fisherman in a small village in Rhode Island.

His family had owned land on a picturesque spot overlooking the water. Now this area is under plans for development.

Dick is angered at the loss of natural beauty that will follow and he's upset by his financial woes and inability to bring in enough money to live and complete the boat he's building.

There is a message to the story that describes the difficulties of being a self employed fisherman in New England.

The story also compares the lives of the wealthy developers and the temptations of someone with a boat that they might be tempted to transport illegal substances.

The National Book Award Winner is a good study of a person's life, their dreams and disappointments.

Red Door, what's that secret you're hiding?

Inspector Ian Rutledge has returned to Scotland Yard after WWI. He suffers from the affects of being at the front and seeing so many men under his command killed.

He's ordered to investigate a murder of a woman on a farm a distance from London. She lived alone and had been waiting for her husband's return from the front.

As the investigation gets under way, Rutledge learns of another man with the same name. This man is from a prominent family and Rutledge's boss tells him to tread carefully.

This man was also at the front and Rutledge tries to see if there could be a connection so he can find a motive for the woman's murder.

In a wonderfully plotted but complicated novel, we see the history of the area and learn what people might have been experiencing after the war.

I enjoyed the novel and following Rutledge with his investigation.

"Come back to me, with all your love." Song lyrics

This fast paced thriller catches the reader's attention from the start of the action as it details the misfortunes of two women and their paths eventually come together.

After an argument with her husband, Wendy, gets into a compromising situation and ends up at a New York hotel room with a man she just met. While she goes to the bathroom, a man barges into the main room and shoots Wendy's acquaintance. As the man was planting a gun, Wendy comes out of the bathroom, picks up the gun and tries to get the man to surrender, when he makes a threat with his own gun, she shoots him. Checking the man's i.d. she sees that he was an official and Wendy panics. The man's partner is down the hall and sees Wendy run from the room, and the chase is on.

Lauritzia Valez is a nanny with a secret. While with the children who were in her care, she's spotted by a man who tries to kill her. She and the children escape and we follow the events that led from her earlier life in Mexico to now.

The heart pounding plot moves from one woman to the other as the story unfolds like a fast moving train. Revenge, brave women and appealing characters reveal their story and fight to overcome their situation as the reader is glued to the pages.

I read the story until late at night and recommend it.

Those Mission Bells are ringing out for me

"Mission Flats" features small town police chief, Ben Truman. His father was chief before him and Ben left grad school in Boston to return home to help care for his mother who had Alzheimer's Disease.

As part of his job, Ben checks the summer homes on the lake but this time he finds the deceased body of a D.A. from Boston who was murdered in a manner to point the finger at a ruthless Boston drug dealer.

The investigation gets under way and Boston officials attempt to take control but Ben insists he be included in the team. He goes to Boston to have an active role in trying to find the killer.

During the investigation, Ben is teamed with John Kelly, a savvy, retired Boston detective.

The novel is a past winner of the Dagger award for best debut crime novel. A well deserving achievement. The author makes the reader care what happens to Ben. The plot also has a number of well placed surprises and an unforgettable conclusion.

Highly recommended.